2019

"Success begets confidence and confidence begets success—and that fine upward spiral is the best restorative of streamside sanity.” ~ Howard T. Walden Each presentation is a feedback loop. The drift, the depth, the timing, the angle, the fly, the response of the fish…this and more informs my next presentation. No two presentations are alike. And whether the cast begets a…

““One brisk morning spent fishing on a misty lake can bring home to a child the beauty, drama and fragility of our national heritage in a way a thousand classroom presentations never could.” – George H.W. Bush. School is back in session. But rest assured, lessons of beauty, drama, and fragility can happen on a misty lake, stream side, or…

“Fly fishing is about adaptation—in any role, capacity, or genre.” ~Charles Jardine from the forward to Dynamic Nymphing by George Daniel Nothing about the trout’s environs are ever the same. Each day the river flow drops forcing trout to move to new holding water and seek protection. And as one hatch wanes, another takes its place prompting trout to search…

“Early on I decided that fishing would be my way of looking at the world. First, it taught me to look at rivers. Lately, it has been teaching me how to look at people, myself included.” – Thomas McGuane Once you gaze upon a river with angler’s eyes, you will never see it the same. Suddenly, you see beneath the…

“Betcha goin' fishin' all of your time, baby's goin' fishing too/ Bet your life, your sweet wife, catch more fish than you.” – “Fishing Blues” by Chris Smith Whether you are doing the fishing, or just sitting back watching others fish, the pleasure of a catch is a shared experience and something to be celebrated. There are plenty of amazing…

“You can’t play a Bach solo partita on the fly rod…but a split bamboo fly rod, used well, is also a small embodiment of human grace.” – George Black August means the Sun Valley Summer Symphony season begins. So when you are done listening to the rush of water against your legs, the song of the Red-winged Blackbird, the collective…

“…neither time nor repetition has destroyed the illusion that the rise of a trout to a dry fly is properly regarded in the light of a miracle.” ― Harold F. Blaisdell It is the thing that brings anglers back to the river time and time again…the take, the moment the trout commits to the fly. The point of contact stirs…

“The cast is so soft and slow that it can be followed like an ash settling from a fireplace chimney. One of life’s quiet excitements is to stand somewhat apart from yourself and watch yourself softly becoming the author of something beautiful, even if it is only a floating ash.” ― Norman Maclean The only thing better than making the…

"It is motion that gives the fish his first warning of danger.” ― Lee Wulff While wading the Creek, move like a heron. When casting, let your fly and line alight the water as soft as a cottonwood seed. And on the Wood, don’t rush to the river’s edge without watching the margins. Don’t stand in the very water that…

Trout are among those creatures who are one hell of a lot prettier than they need to be. They can get you to wondering about the hidden workings of reality.” ― John Gierach Last week, Joe Humphreys reminded us to “look up” and take in the natural beauty of the place we live in. Remember also to “look down” and…